Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a meeting of Likud ministers on Sunday that he supports easing the three-year blockade Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip, but that he would not approve the lifting of the naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory.

With this declaration, Netanyahu rejected the proposal made by the foreign ministers of France, Spain and Italy, who suggested that in the future, Gaza-bound ships be searched by European inspectors in Cyprus.

The suggestion was made after a clash between Israeli navy commandos and Turkish activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship, part of a flotilla of ships aiming to break the blockade, resulted in the deaths of nine activists last month.

Netanyahu said during the meeting that "Israel will continue to prevent ships from reaching Gaza, while simultaneously easing the blockade." He added that other nations in the region also oppose lifting the naval blockade, saying that "the arrival of ships directly to Gaza is problematic, not only for us, but for others as well."

Netanyahu's remarks came following a report in Haaretz that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had told U.S. President Barack Obama during his recent visit to Washington that he opposed the lifting of the naval blockade because such a move would bolster Hamas, the rival of Abbas' Fatah party.

However, Abbas' spokesman issued a denial on Sunday in response to the morning's report, explaining to the Palestinain Wafa news agency that the Palestinian president had told Obama that the lifting of the blockade on Gaza was like the peace process in the sense that "the president [Abbas] has raised the demand to lift the blockade in all his meetings with world leaders."

"The world should take advantage of the events of the Gaza flotilla to push Israel to lift the blockade and end the suffering of Gaza's inhabitants," The spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaina, added.

Meanwhile Sunday, Middle East envoy Tony Blair said he hoped to see movement in the next few days on easing the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu, under rising pressure to ease the embargo since a deadly raid on a Turkish-backed aid ship heading to Gaza last month, held talks on the issue with Blair on Friday.

Asked when supplies could begin getting through to Gaza, Blair told the BBC: "I think it's got to be pretty soon."

"As fast as the next few days I hope we can get significant movement on this because otherwise I think the pressure will build up," he said.

"As Benjamin Netanyahu has quite rightly said today, there is a way to distinguish between the security aspect and the daily life aspect. And if we keep that distinction in our mind then I think we will get the right answer and we can start that quickly," he said.

The former British prime minister said the Palestinian authorities and the European Union, as well as Israel, could play a role in policing the flow of goods into Gaza.

"There are all sorts of different ways that you can help police this material, the main thing is to make whatever policing system you have effective," said Blair.

To get the latest from HaaretzFollow @HaaretzomLike us on Facebook and get articles directly in your news feed

I think a showdown is inevitable. Cooler heads should diffuse the
tension. I am shocked at the Knesset treatment of MK Zoubi Israel
needs to listen to it's respected leaders. Maybe a change of
reaffirmijng the moral decisions over the somewhat polititical ones may
help. Israel can put out policy like Saudi Arabia and Russia but until
you enlist the Palestinians it has no meaning

In America we are told that to advocate peace makes us Anti semetic, Why
can Netanyahu escape the same title for his bloody response to the
relief convoy.I( am not antisemetic however I have given up on racist
zionistic chosen people savagery ,not excluding Hamas tit for tat
savage actions. I predict unless there is a peace process return to a
real settlement,Israel and their muslim fanatic enemies WILL disappear
in a rage of nuclear fire! To be anti Zionist,is not anti Jewish or even
anti Israel since Zionism is a pure political play . khazar refugees
brought the same old racist, Post Traumatic Stress Disordered survivor
mentality to high government policies and have let the nazi/stalinistic
savagery continue long after Auschwitz and have instituited their own
"Gazauschwitz". Pray tell me how different is Hamas or
Palistianian resistance different than Jewish,Polish ghetto resistance
to the conquering Nazi beasts? I pray Jewish Peacemakers will prevail
not the current bunch of depleated uranium JDAM spreading,racist haters
who have reinstituted political murder.

Maybe Israel can stop the tidal wave. They have a dedicated
disinformation group to stifle the truth. I would hope that Israel's
top computer gurus would focus on Iran. Congressional testominy
concludes that a relatively small comittment will help the opposition to
gain strength. They need the ability to overcome jamming. Israeli
geeks can win that war/

I believe Osama Qashoo and the other 5 UK witnesses. Ken O/Keefe owes
no apology to the Shayetet 13 for causing a shall we say embarassment.
In a year we will know what happened. The USA has no business being in
any investigation. They killed let them defend it,

one has to seriously wonder if the US rep to the UN would support Israel
when that country begins their policy of tansfer of Israeli Arabs out of
Israel? Would their spokesmen agree that it was necessary for Israel's
survival. What nation in the international community except the US
thinks that Israel could possibly carry out a credible investigation of
their actions against aid activists? What does Israel have to do, how
far does it need to go, before the US will react and condemn it and not
support it?

Every nation has the right to defend her borders. Israel is a Nation.
Every ship or floating vessel must obey the Port Authority. So, why all
the noise??? What did the "world"/USA do when North Korea
invaded South Korean waters and sunk a ship killing 4,000(?)? (We
didn't get as much media on that incident and I can't remember the exact
number.) Myself and my family, being US citizens, and Christians,
support Israel's rights to act as a nation should and defend her waters
and her borders.

A single success in a 20 boat flotilla will bring a bigger flotilla.
Israel must target Greta Berlin to stop the threat. You must realize it
is impossible to stop. Israel and Palestine can be friends;. There is
little wiggle room left. Either assassiinate flotilla leaders or
apoligize and man up.

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, and analysis from Israel and the Middle East.
Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict,
the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,
the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.